Armenia considers the possibility of organizing a voluntary home  guard system

ArmInfo.The Ministry of Defense of Armenia has submitted for public discussion a bill that defines relations related to the creation, management and recruitment  of home guardsmen in the city of Yerevan. Press secretary of the  Armenian Defense Ministry Shushan Stepanyan announced this on her  Facebook page.

"The bill is dictated by the need to give the issue of the defense of  the Republic of Armenia universal and national importance, to give a  worthy rebuff to any encroachments of a potential enemy by creating  and organizing a voluntary home guard system," Stepanyan wrote.

As noted in the substantiation of the bill, today the participation  of every citizen in the defense of the Republic of Armenia is not  fully used, it is not systematic, organized and purposeful,  especially in the presence of a threat of an armed attack on the  Republic of Armenia or military actions.

"The study of potential enemy combat actions shows that the center of  gravity of hostilities can be shifted inland through the widespread  use of sabotage, terrorist, reconnaissance or special operations, as  well as infiltrated groups of enemy forces. To counter them,  neutralize and destroy them, it is necessary to create a group forces  under the joint leadership, a powerful force in the world that will  be able to reliably protect the territory, population, key facilities  and infrastructure of the enemy from possible actions of the enemy, "  noted in the substantiation of the bill.

It is envisaged to amend the Law of the Republic of Armenia "On  Defense", which will define the concepts, goals, structure, formation  procedure, relations related to the training, use, subordination,  management of the home guardsmen during hostilities and in peacetime.

Among the goals of the home guard is assistance in protecting Armenia  (territory, population, infrastructures) from sabotage, terrorist,  intelligence actions of the enemy, as well as assistance in the  implementation of the life of local government bodies.

The home guard can be used in the defense of borders or dangerous  sections of the Line of Contact with the enemy, in the fight against  sabotage or reconnaissance groups, in the protection of objects of  special or especially important importance, communication routes of  troops or the population, organization of civil defense.

The home guard will operate on a territorial basis, according to the  administrative division. It will consist of military formations,  divided into brigades and battalions.  

The general management of the battalion is carried out by the Chief  of the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces with the help of  the newly formed home guard headquarters. The head (commander) of the  unit in peacetime and wartime is the head of the local  self-government body, and in Yerevan - the deputy mayor.  

The head of the home guard brigade is the deputy head of the  administrative district of the city community, and in Yerevan - the  deputy head of the administrative district.  

The staffing of brigades and battalions with home guardmen is carried  out by the territorial conscription units of the Ministry of Defense  of Armenia from registered reservists who are not assigned to  positions in wartime citizens.  

The basis for recruiting into the home guard is a contract concluded  with a citizen. The contract cannot be concluded with a person who  must undergo compulsory service, who is a soldier, a rescuer or an  employee of the penitentiary institution and Compulsory Enforcement  Services of Judicial Acts, as well as persons serving a sentence.  

Weapons are assigned to the home guardmen, they are given uniforms,  they are appointed to a position, and undergo appropriate training.